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Contact Info
Home Town Chicago, IL
Last Address Hollywood, FL
Date of Passing Jan 23, 2003
Location of Interment U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium (VLM) - Annapolis, Maryland
After retiring from the Navy, Capt. Superfine settled in Hollywood Hills [Florida], became a vice president of First National Bank of Hollywood, helped found the Broward County Crime Commission and was a state chairman of the Florida Liberty Amendment Committee.
He was a member of the Memorial Regional Hospital Ethics Committee and the Hollywood Economic Development Strategic Planning Task Force. He also was a longtime member of the Hollywood Kiwanis Club.
"He loved Hollywood, he loved his friends here and he loved his small little part of the neighborhood," his daughter, Susan, said.
Other Comments:
Silver Star
Citation in part: : "Acting as Officer in Charge of a salvage crew, Lieutenant Superfine, with his limited personnel, daringly boarded an abandoned vessel, in an active combat area in order to obtain strategic material. After working tirelessly over a period of several days, under most difficult and trying conditions, he brought out his ship and a barge containing a valuable cargo of bombs and aviation gasoline, dropping anchor safely after a four hundred mile passage in spite of enemy observation and attack..."
Bronze Star
"For meritorious achievement as Executive Officer and Combat Information Evaluator of the USS INGERSOLL during action against enemy Japanese Forces, from January 15 to December 2, 1944."
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation
The citation follows in part: "For meritorious service as Operations Officer of the USS WISCONSIN during combat operations against North Korean and Chinese Communist forces in the Korean area from November 21 1951 to March 30, 1952. Discharging his many responsibilities as Operations Officer, Commnander Superfine displayed outstanding leadership, mature judgment and keen foresight in planning the many gun strikes successfully executed by the ship. Thoroughly understanding the many complex problems involved in combat operations of a battleship, he showed unusual ability in furnishing vital information to the many gun stations which inflicted heavy damage to enemy installations..."
Comments: The Citation was presented on May 15, 1995, in a ceremony at the Pentagon, attended by more than 100 Task Force 16 veterans. Present were Secretary of the Navy John Dalton, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Bernard D. Rostker, Chief of Naval Operations J. M. Boorda, and New Hampshire Senator Robert C. Smith who began the drive for the Citation after learning of the oversight from one of his constituents: Bert Whited, of Hornet's Scouting Eight. After a recounting of the mission by Assistant Secretary Rostker, the veterans of Task Force 16 were awarded the Citation, which read:
"On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Second World War, it is appropriate that we take time to reflect on the unique and daring accomplishments achieved early in the war by Task Force 16. Sailing westward under sealed orders in April 1942, only four months after the devastating raid on Pearl Harbor, Task Force 16, carrying sixteen Army B-25 bombers, proceeded into history. Facing adverse weather and under constant threat of discovery before bombers could be launched to strike the Japanese homeland, the crews of the ships and LTC Doolittle's bombers persevered. On 18 April 1942 at 14:45, perseverance produced success as radio broadcasts from Japan confirmed the success of the raids. These raids were an enormous boost to the morale of the American people in those early and dark days of the war and a harbinger of the future for the Japanese High Command that had so foolishly awakened "The Sleeping Giant." These exploits, which so inspired the service men and women and the nation live on today and are remembered when the necessity of success against all odds is required."
(Signed) John H. Dalton Secretary of the Navy 15 May 1995
The Task Force 16 Citation is awarded to the following ships, and all their personnel who participated in the Doolittle Raid:
* USS Hornet CV-8 * USS Enterprise CV-6 * USS Salt Lake City CA-25 * USS Northampton CA-26 * USS Vincennes CA-44 * USS Nashville CL-43 * USS Balch DD-363 * USS Fanning DD-385 * USS Benham DD-397 * USS Ellet DD-398 * USS Gwin DD-433 * USS Meredith DD-434 * USS Grayson DD-435 * USS Monssen DD-436 * USS Sabine AO-25 * USS Cimarron AO-22 * USS Thresher SS-200 * USS Trout SS-202
